Further Reading

It isn't clear from the context what baseline is being used for the "dramatic increase" in question. Fils-Aimé could simply be comparing Super NES Classic production to that of the NES Classic; the company had already promised it would "produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition." Even so, the new language of a "dramatic increase" over the 2.3 million production run for the NES Classic would be welcome news to those hoping to get their hands on the new hardware.

If that's the case, why were initial pre-orders so hard to come by? Fils-Aimé passes the buck here, telling FT that the instant sellouts were due to unspecified retailer issues "outside our control" rather than any overarching supply issues. "I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites," Fils-Aimé told the paper. "You shouldn't [have to] pay more than $79.99."

Fils-Aimé also reiterated that the demand for the original NES Classic Edition far exceeded the company's expectations, which were based on the performance of similar low-budget plug-and-play systems from other companies. As for the Super NES Classic, the $80 price was set "so as to not exceed Nintendo’s current offerings, such as the 3DS handheld," as FT paraphrased.

Further Reading

Nintendo has previously promised that "a significant amount of additional [Super NES Classic] systems will be shipped to stores for launch day and throughout the balance of the calendar year." Despite the clear signs of high demand, though, the company has not committed to producing the system past the end of the year, much less signaled the kind of indefinite production plan that would ensure demand will eventually be met. The NES Classic Edition was discontinued roughly six months after its debut despite continued quick sellouts at retailers.

Fils-Aime's comments followed an appearance at Variety's Entertainment and Technology Summit in Los Angeles when he said he couldn't guarantee that production of the Nintendo Switch would be able to satisfy demand during the holiday season. "I'm going to make millions of these units to flow into the marketplace," he said during the event. "But what I don't know is what the demand is going to be. And there is a potential that demand is going to outstrip supply."

Following up on those comments with FT, Fils-Aimé said that maintaining a complex global supply chain was a "challenge," and he suggested parts constraints may be to blame for the inability to produce Switch systems more quickly. "There is not one [supply] choke point; there are multiple choke points," he said. "I won't go into any more detail, but it's not just one component."

Promoted Comments

While I definitely think there are some artificial scarcity elements regarding the NES Classic, I also have to put business hat on and think about the flip side, especially pre-Switch success. If you're out for Nintendo's blood, instead of asking 'why can't they make enough product', ask 'how many units should they make'. Factor in months-long factory lead times, game licensing contracts with companies who are trying to sell their own retro collections, retailer relationships, and long-term strategy, and it's more difficult than just 'hit the make more button'. As every years-delayed Kickstarter shows, people think that manufacturing is easy, and it is nooooot.

So, it'll be exciting to see how many SNES classics they make - does the market justify making 5 million units? 10 million? 50 million? Any of those might be the right number, but dump a bunch of capital into 'way too many', and you just might bankrupt the company.

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Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl

It's still unavailable from pretty much anywhere right now. Nintendo needs to put it's money where it's mouth is. They created a huge gray market for the NES Classic by not producing enough where prices were (and still are) inflated 2-3+ of normal, and now it looks like a repeat for the SNES Classic.

The only way Nintendo can remedy this is by showing the scalpers that they aren't going to make profits by producing enough to keep store shelves full.

But the Nintendo Switch on the other hand... good luck ever finding one let alone at retail.

That said, $79.99 for the SNES Classic these days when it requires a BOM of maybe $15 is a bit much.

Actually, the Switch is becoming increasingly easier to find in many parts of North America. Seems some stores are starting to keep stock for days at a time now rather than hours. Given the general lull in releases right now, that should continue for the next month or so. Things will probably go to shit again once Super Mario Odyssey releases and the US Thanksgiving/Christmas rush hits though.

As far as the SNES Classic goes - it looks like Reggie is just repeating what the company said on announcement. He's not promising a dramatic increase over their original plans for the SNES, but the same dramatic increase over the NES production we already knew about.

This sounds like what they said for the NES Classic. I remember a Nintendo tweet that said they were making far more in time for the holidays, yet no one I know was able to buy one before Christmas. And then they pulled the production entirely. If they follow through, that would be great. So many missed out last time.

I've seen Switches all over the place. Just sitting on shelves, collecting dust. Don't think they're THAT hard to come by.

As for the SNES Classic, well... that's going to be extremely hard to come by because Nintendo wants it to be. This article is being VERY generous in accepting his word as truth rather than dodging and weaving AWAY from the truth.

At this point I've pretty much given up on ever owning an SNES Classic, just hoping someone can dump Star Fox 2 to a ROM that can be emulated on a raspberry pi or something (I'm aware of the existing ROM dumps, but this one sounds more like a finished product). I would gladly pay for Star Fox 2 on the Switch, but Nintendo seems determined to shoot themselves in the foot there too with regards to their lack of a back catalog on the virtual console.

BS. Nintendo is trying to send out about 16 million switches and they can't keep up with demand for this year. Granted they all aren't being made at once, it's gradual. Still, I doubt they'll make enough SNES Mini classics. When will I believe them? When it's November and I can walk into a retailer that sells them and walk out with one. Sure maybe one or two stores may be sold out, but I shouldn't have to hunt and sign up for trackers and such to get one.

But the Nintendo Switch on the other hand... good luck ever finding one let alone at retail.

That said, $79.99 for the SNES Classic these days when it requires a BOM of maybe $15 is a bit much.

Actually, the Switch is becoming increasingly easier to find in many parts of North America. Seems some stores are starting to keep stock for days at a time now rather than hours. Given the general lull in releases right now, that should continue for the next month or so. Things will probably go to shit again once Super Mario Odyssey releases and the US Thanksgiving/Christmas rush hits though.

As far as the SNES Classic goes - it looks like Reggie is just repeating what the company said on announcement. He's not promising a dramatic increase over their original plans for the SNES, but the same dramatic increase over the NES production we already knew about.

Agreed. There's a Target near my office that I go to sometimes for midday snacks. They had multiple switches in stock last week that stuck around for at least a few days.

Still planning on getting up bright and early and standing in line outside of a Best Buy or Target on launch morning for 2-3 hours before opening. Hopefully that's enough. It was with the original NES Classic but this time around there might be more interest.

I'm sure Nintendo could have dramatically increased production, there's a first for everything. I'm not going to cancel my overpriced GameStop preorder based on Nintendo's promises, but it is POSSIBLE...not likely but possible.

I've seen Switches all over the place. Just sitting on shelves, collecting dust. Don't think they're THAT hard to come by.

As for the SNES Classic, well... that's going to be extremely hard to come by because Nintendo wants it to be. This article is being VERY generous in accepting his word as truth rather than dodging and weaving AWAY from the truth.

I don't have any specific info to know whether Fils-Aime's promises will come true or not. I tried to express some skepticism by pointing out that "dramatic increase" has a very unclear baseline, that Nintendo hasn't committed to production past the end of the year, and mentioning the problems with the NES Classic situation a few times.

All that said, NOA president going on the record with this kind of promise/recommendation is still news, and it'd be irresponsible to just come out and yell "YOU LIAR!" in a news article.

I've seen Switches all over the place. Just sitting on shelves, collecting dust. Don't think they're THAT hard to come by.

As for the SNES Classic, well... that's going to be extremely hard to come by because Nintendo wants it to be. This article is being VERY generous in accepting his word as truth rather than dodging and weaving AWAY from the truth.

I don't have any specific info to know whether Fils-Aime's promises will come true or not. I tried to express some skepticism by pointing out that "dramatic increase" has a very unclear baseline, that Nintendo hasn't committed to production past the end of the year, and mentioning the problems with the NES Classic situation a few times.

All that said, NOA president going on the record with this kind of promise/recommendation is still news, and it'd be irresponsible to just come out and yell "YOU LIAR!" in a news article.

At this point I've pretty much given up on ever owning an SNES Classic, just hoping someone can dump Star Fox 2 to a ROM that can be emulated on a raspberry pi or something (I'm aware of the existing ROM dumps, but this one sounds more like a finished product). I would gladly pay for Star Fox 2 on the Switch, but Nintendo seems determined to shoot themselves in the foot there too with regards to their lack of a back catalog on the virtual console.

Even Nintendo doesn't know how to emulate Starfox 2's FX chip without paying for the patent.

I don't see how they can say they will have enough SNES Classics with a straight face when I still can't find a Switch.

Came here to say the same. If I can't find one in the next month or so, I might just wait about 2-3 more years and buy a used one. They're a little pricey for what they are, anyway.

Never was able to get a Wii (new). I don't think I ever saw stock of them in any stores. Just used ones starting to show up. I think Nintendo did this on purpose because they hate the second hand market.

Wouldn't mind getting one of these, but it'd sure be fun to try a Switch.

In any case, sure hope that the quote has some merit! These little units look neat.

And before all the fan boys chime in saying 'they obviously want money and therefore are telling the truth about limited production capacity': we all have heard that tired refrain a million times before. If that were true, why is Nintendo seemingly the only company affected by such issues when their competitors have been able to push sufficient units in a far more timely manner despite outselling Nintendo consoles?

The end game here is to keep Nintendo in the news under headlines talking about people clamoring to get at their products, driving up stock price and driving sales of the switch, for which the profit margins of selling old software are much higher. (S)NES Classic is more marketing than product.

Following up on those comments with FT, Fils-Aimé said that maintaining a complex global supply chain was a "challenge"

With Nintendo having decades of experience, I'd figure they'd know how to make it happen, if they wanted to make it happen. For a start, they could walk away from the plan to stop manufacturing SNES Classic units at the end of 2017, and keep production going for a few more months.